Apparatus for cracking oils



W. B. D. PENNIMAN.

APPARATUS FOR CRACKING OILS.

APPLICATION FlLED MAY 5, 1917.

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API 'LICATION FILED MAY 51EH7- Patented Sept. 19 1922,

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azaaza a "List r aewes ear-eta tam WILLIAM BJD. rmxm man, or BALTIMORE,MARYLAND. Armim'rus FOR cnaoxxn e oI'Ls.

Application filed May '5, 1917. .Srial'No. 166,587.

T oallwhomitmay concern: I of my patent above referred to, this difii-Be it known that I, WILLIAM B; D. PEN- culty 1s overcomeby mixingsuperheated and NIMAN, a citizen of the United States of Wet steamorsteam and Water, or some less A ri a, idi in the city of Baltimore,easily vaporized fluid from two sources at 5 State of Maryland, haveinvented certain different temperatures, In the presentinnew andusefullmprovementsin- Apparatus stance, the heat transfer medium orvefor Cracking Oils, of which the following is h cle is preferably steamsupplied from any a, ifi ti a. i suitable'boller and brought in heatexchang- The present invention relates to the distiling relation with.the oil by passing though .0 lation and cracking of, the heavierpetrocoils orany suitable container in Contact leum oils in theproduction of gasoline, using with the oil. The regulation of thetempersteam or other fluid as a heat transfer meature of the coils andtheir heating effect dium and preferably heating the oils from 1saccomplishedby supplying to wet steam Within in accordance with *myPatent No. on its way to the coils the necessary degree 15 7 66,841,which describes means for obtainof heat giv ng the desired temperaturewith ing high steam temperatures at low presoutlncreasing the pressure,the heating efsures, as compared to the pressures of wet feet of thesuperheater being adjusted prefor saturated steam at correspondingtemper-. erably by" automatic means to regulate the atures. By crackingI mean the operation temperature to which the steam is super- 20 bywhich the hydrocarbons of high 'molecheated or to givethe desiredheating effect ular. Weight and boiling point are broken at the point ofapplication. Inthis way a I down by heat into two products one of whichhigh temperature is attained without involvis more volatile, thantheQmaterial-cracked, mg a pressure in excess ofthat correspond- In thisoperation some of the important difing to the temperature at which thewet or 25 ficulties encountered which are thought to saturated steam issupplied, and regulation be'overcome or largely overcome'by the presofthe temperature is accomplished in an ent device, are the deposit ofcoke in the still, easliy and convenient manner. which reduces theefficiency of heating surn the accompanying drawingI have illusfaces andis accompanied'by thefformation trated an apparatus embodying my inven-30 of an excess of permanent gas, and the pro tion. 1

duction of an excess. of permanent gas by Figure, 1 is anelevationfshowing the overheating, independently of the formationboiler, superheat'er and certain thermostatic of coke; also the dangerof explosion or fire apparatus for controlling the superheater; orstructural damage to the still incident to and I 5 35 direct heating.Figure 2 is an elevation of the still and The margin between thetemperature neccondenser, the two figures being so' arranged essary tothe production of the highest perthat joined end to end they form asingle centage of gasoline from these heavier oils View of the entireapparatus. 7 and the temperature at which excessive Referring to thedrawings by numerals, 40 amounts of coke and gas are formed is ratherthe apparatus consists of a suitable still 1 slight and accurateregulationof the heatcontaining oil and the still may have a ing effector temperature of the heat transstillhead or vapor chamber 2 opening"into ferring fluid or transfer medium is neces the space above. the oiland connected to, a sary. Therdiiiiculty and danger involved condenser4. Looking at the other end of 45 in working with the pressures incidentto the apparatus, thereis a steam boiler and saturated steam at thetemperatures necesfurnace 5 and a steam outlet or delivery pipe 'sary tothe cracking of heavy oils will be 6 connected to a superheater 7. Thissuappreciated. According to the disclosure perheater contains a coil ofpipe 8 and a type describedin my PatentNo. 902,600..

The valve gear 12 is electrically driven and includes a motor 13 havingsets of reversing connections 14,15 connected to a U-shaped tube 16containing the terminals of the three wires 17, 18 and 19'and sufficientmercury to fill the lower portion of the bend. The

U-tubeis connected by a pipe 2 0 to an air bulb 21 in the'pipe 22adjacent to the heatingelements in the still, the pipe 22 being thesteam pipe from the super'heater to the .still. These heating elementsare shown as including a series of upper headers 23 and a series oflower headers 24 connected by suitable pipes 25 and separated by baffles26 and 27. Steam enters by the pipe 22 and passes through the systemfrom left to right in Figure 2, the waste steam being used inany'convenient manner, and the oil is passed through the stilldirection.

'In the form of the invention shown, oil is supplied to the still by way"of a pipe 28 preferably in the opposite and a pump 29 and after passingin contact ,and maintained for I with the heating system and beingheated to a sufiicient period at a predetermined temperature suflicientto crack and form volatile products from the available 'crackable heavyoils, it is drawn off at the outlet 30. In the form of the ap paratusshown, the pump 29 is' driven by an electric motor 31 controlled by acontact float 32 in the circuit which serves to make the circuitwhenever the determined level and hold it closed until it is pumped upto that desired level when the current .is broken and pumping ceases.However, in the normal operation. of thede-' vice, the float occupies aposition in which the pump runs at a suflicient speed to compensate forthe dischargeand evaporation. The entire system is maintained underpressure as hereinafter described and the'heating by means of theheating elements 23, 24 and 25 serves to crack and vaporize theavailable portions of .the heavy oils, producing gasoline and a, smallamount of permanent gas; also some of the oil is usually vaporizedwithout being cracked. This may be further treated to advantage in thestillhead and to this end,

I may when it is deemed desirable provide heating means in oil is belowa pre-v the stillhead for further heating the vapor.

This is done in stillhead chamber 33. Such heating means is shown in theform of a coil 35 supplied with steam from the boiler 5 superheated tothe desired degree in a;

super-heater 36-; the temperature being controlled in substantially thesame manner as the temperature of the coil 23, 24, etc. by means of anautomatic valve 37 operated by valve gear'38 of substantially the sametype .as the valve gear 12 shown in connection I may also provide a coil41 used as a cooling means to separate the uncracked oils from thegasoline by condensation, the coil, if. used being placed in, a secondvapor chamber 34. The coil 41. is below the temperature'of the vapors tocondense the heavy oils withoutcondensing the gasoline; For this purposeI usewet steam led from the boiler by the pipe 60. The

passage of steam through thisv pipe is controlled by an automatic valve61 and valve gear 62 which may be of the type described in my Patent No.933,577 consisting of a I motor 64 and a U-tube 65 connected toan airjust sufficiently bulb 66 in the passage 67 leading from the condenserchamber 34. The U-tube contains three contactpoints 68 by which the motois controlled as to" stopping, starting and reversing according to theposition of the mercury which is controlled by the air bulb according'tothe temperature at thatpoint. In'this way, just sufiicient wet steam togive the desired amount of coolingis appliedito thecooling coil 41-. Thepipes 69, 7O conducting steam from both coils may be led to' pipe 22between the' superheater and the air bulb or the steam from the coilsmay 'be otherwise disposed of.

The vapor is passed by way of a suitable pipe 48 to the condenser 4where the gasoline is condensed and collected in a suitable reservoir49, the permanent gases passing by way of a pipe 50 to the furnace or toa gas ometer, the outlet being controlled by an automatic valve 51operated by a motor 52, the connections being made through a pressureindicator 53, the pivot of the indicator hand 54 being connected to aground wire and the forward and reverse wires being connected to twoterminals. 55 and 56 at the limits of the needles swing, i. e.,determining the variations of pressure permitted in the system so thatwhen the pressure increases sufliciently to cause the needle to contactthe terminal 56, the motor runs forward and the valve is opened, andwhen it drops sufficiently to cause the needle to contact the 1 While Ihave described specifically the details of a complete apparatusIHVOlVlIlg' numerous features, this is done in order that i the natureand operation of such a complete apparatus capable of use for thepurposes of my invention may be clearly understood.

However, the scope ofthe protection sought is amuch broader than thedetails of the apparatus. "The wet steam may be taken from any suitablesource; any kind of a superheater which is available or found convenientmay be used and any kind of heater, Whether burning liquid, gaseous,,solid or pulverized fuel; it is not essential that all the steam bepassed through the superheater the valves may be automaticallycontrolled or otherwise and it is not essential that the superheaterregulating valve control the fuel supply, it may operate through someother agency; the apparatus for treating the vapors in the stillhead maybe varied, either the heating or cooling element or both may .beomitted; the oil may be passed through the still in any desired manner;and any, means; for maintaining the pressure in the still may be used.

-What I claimand desire to secure byLettersPatent is: l 1. In anapparatus for cracking oils under pressure, a still for the oil, acontainer for steam in contact with the oil, means for supplying. steam,a superheater for raising the temperature of thesteam as it approachesthe .still without increasing 'the' pressure, means for regulating thetemperature of the superheater, and a thermostat controlled by thetemperature of the steam supplied to-the still and controlling the action of such regulating means.

2. In an apparatus for cracking oils,.incombination a still for theoil,means for heating the oil in the still, consisting of acontainer forsteam in contact with the oil, means for supplying wet steam, means forsuperheating the steam, means for adjusting the temperature of thesuperheater, a thermostat'in the steam passage near the point where itenters 'the "said container in contact with the oil, and connectionsfromthethermostat to the adjusting means whereby the thermostat controls theadj usting means.

3.-In an apparatus for cracking oils under pressure, a still for theoil, a container for steam submerged in the oil, a

boiler for supplying wet steam, a super-.

heater between the boiler and the still, means for supplying fuel in theform of a fluid to thesuperheater, a valve controlling the supply offuel, athermostat the condition of which corresponds to the thermalcondltionsto be maintainedin-the still, and.

connections between the thermostat and the valve in the fuel pipewhereby the temperature of .the superheater is made to correspondto andis controlled by the tenipera- 7C ture of the steam container in thestill.

4. In an apparatus for cracking oils under pressure, a still, a vaporchamber or ,stillhead, meansfor heating the oil includit enters thestill, and connections from the thermostat'to the-valve in the fuelsupply whereby the temperature of the steam entering the still is raisedto and maintained at a predetermined normal. v

' 5. In an apparatus for cracking oils-unde'r pressure, a still forcontaining oil, means for heating the still, a vapor chambercommunicatingwith the still space above the oil, a steam containerv inthe chamber, a boiler for supplying wet steam, a pipe connecting theboiler to the steam'container, a

superheater -between the boiler and the steam container, means forcontrolling the temperature of the superheater, a thermostat exposed toa temperature proportionate to that of the container in the vaporchamber, and connections from the thermostat to the controlling meansfor the superheater whereby the temperatureof the superheateris-controlledaccording to the temperature of the container.

16. In an apparatus for cracking 0115,31. I still for containing theoil, steafmjqontainers in contact with the oil, a so'lirce' of wetsteam, a pipe leading from thesaidf;source to the said containers in thestill, it; superheater in the-pipe line, thermostatic means controlledby the temperature of-the steam in the container for regulating thetemperature of the superheater, a vapor chamber in communication withthe still'space over the oil, a steamcontainer therein, means forsupplying wet steam to the steam container,

and thermostatically controlled meansunder vapor which is passed incontact with the steam container, the said thermostatic meanscontrolling the supply 'of wet s'teatn.

7. In an apparatus for cracking oils, a still for containing the oil,steam containers in contact with the oil, a source of wet steam, asuperheater to raise the temperature of the steam, thermostaticmeanscontrolled by the temperature of the steam in 'thecontainer forregulating the temperature of the super-Q heater, a vapor chamber 111communication with. the stlll space over the 011, means for heatingthevapors-after they pass from the "oilinithe' form of steam containers,means 115 the influence of the thermal condition of the for superheatingthe steam entering said the last-mentioned superheater, a steamc0ntainer. beyond the vapor heating "device, means for supplyingwetsteam to the steam container to condense a portion of the v apor,

and thermostatically controlledmeans under 10 the influence of the.thermal condition of the Vapor which is passed in, contact with thesteam container, the said thermostatic means controlling the supply ofWet-steam.-

Signed by me at Baltimore, Maryland, this 3rd2-day ofMay 1917.

WILLIAM B.- DPENNIMAN.

